Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-05-12
FOUNTAINS OF FIRE.
Pew.Pictures OF the Great Oil Rival Of
Pennsylvania.
rnou, the Pau Mall Budget.

Pe-Pictures OF the Great Oil Rival Of
Pennsylvania.
From the Pan Mall Budget
The great town of Baku has now a coast-line
OF about miles, sweeping round a weli-protected
harbor crowded with shipping-ships Of all ton
mage all fitted with tanks to store the OIL that
pours from a hundred fountains From time imme-
mortal this spot has been deemed sacred by the
0bebfes OF Persia, who recognize In the flame of
the native naphtha sacred fire symbol Here
for at least 900 years the sacred earth-fed flame
has burned increasingly, and the temple OF
Ssuukhani has been a center OF reverent Pilgrim
age. This native naphtha flows from the soil In
~ pure form as 10 burn without rectiic.-ton,
and is indeed 50 inhammable that the naphtl l
gas occasionally ignites spontaneously and
PLAYS IN PALE FLAMES
above assures In the rocks. On stormy night
these flames have been seen TO blaze I'D with an
awful spirit-nght, which, In the eyes OF the Che
ores invested the spot with special sanctity-a
s.nctty intensified by the fact that here accord
ing 10 Arabian chroniclers, q great volcanic
mountain was in full action tin 500 years ago.
since then the thermal forces have expended their
energies In spouting Oil and Herewith saturating
The desert plain OF the ApSherOn Peninsula; and
troly more repulsive site for great city could
IL Is plain about fifteen miles in width and
projecting thirty miles into the Caspian from the
point where the CAUCASUS terminates on its
shores The whole surface OF the ground Is black
with waste petroleum, which In cold weather
hardenS TO the consistency OF asphalt, where be-
Meath the blazing midsummer sun the foot sinks
In TO the depth OF three inches. Every breath OF
wind raises binding clouds OF
BLACK BrTUHfNOUS Dust,
formed by the coarse black naptha with which the
streets are practically "watered"-true water
being TOO precious 10 be thus wasted. This dust,
combined with the dense smoke poured from the
chimneyS of somewhere about 800 refining fac
tories, does nothing 10 improve the atmosphere.
And here, day ana night, the Oil fountains pour
forth their hideous black streams They Weld an
average Of from p 10 % per cent OF pure OIL aud
from 20 TO 30 per cent of refuse, which makes ex-
erent fuel for the great fleets OF Oil steamers and
locomotives The supply may well be deemed in
exnauStible, fnasfnuch as 900 square miles in
this region are found 70 be oleiferous and OF this
vast surface only six miles have yet been de-
veioped- The Oil-bearing stratum extends beneath
the Caspian Sea, where 1t crops up in Tchelikan,
true isle OF oil Here the Oil literally streams into
the sea from hills and cliffs which may be said TO
De formed o. ozOSerite--in other words, OF crude
paran3ne- On the eastern shore OF the Caspian it
reaPpears at various points-as, for instance, at
NxFr, or SAPHTHA Hill,
where the deposits are officially valued at E.2s5,-
100000 Then, again, as Baku lies at the eastern
extremity OF the Caucasus range so at its western
sx1remity hes an oil field extending over about
30 miles IL terminates in the Peninsula OF
Taman, between the Black Sea and Sea OF AzOF, a
region aDOunding in active mud-vOlcanoeS and
occasionally shaken by earthquakes.
Now the fre-gianb who tends the great lab0ra-
tory beneath the Caspian seems disposed TO emu
late the example OF his brethren In New zealand
and Tonga Hitherto he had been satisfied with
such sport as turning on such an Oil stream as
That which guShed forth three years ago from one
OF the Baku springs, spoutIng with such force as
had been fastened over the well in order TO divert
She flow TO different direction. 4 neighbor1ng
oil spring, on being tapped, threw up a column OF
petroleum TO twice the height OF
THE GREAT GEYsER IN ICELAND,
forming huge black fountain 200 feet in height
= fountain, however, attributed solely to the re-
AOyal OF the pressure on the confined gas as there
Il no perceptible heat in these geysers 1t was
visible for many miles around: and on the first
day it poured forth about 80 600 barrels and Tvs ith
gradually diminishing volume. coRtiu,pst 70 play
Tor five months when it finally subsidized leays NJ
Hs unfortunate owner tan American cUnlIanyl
wen nigh ruined by the claims brought against it
by neighDOrS whose lands were DESTROYED by the
oil 1ood- One house, which stood near the spring,
now Hes buried beneath sand hill, which alone
marks The site Of this too prodigal fount. Quite
recently still m1ghtier naphtha flow suddenly
commenced playing With such vigor that Num-
continued altogether uncomfortable, and fears
were entertained for the safety OF the town OF
Baku-
Now, however a more appalling terror has ap-
peared In this region where there is so enormous
an amount OF iEfiammable matter that one might
wen dread the Andljng or the
MOST CAREFULLY GUARDED FLANR
On the night OF the 18th OF January the inhabi-
tants OF Baku were awakened by a violent shock
which caused all the windows to rattle, and sud
denly the darkness OF the night was illuminated
0y an intense light as though the city were af1ame
" proved, however, to be the reflection on the
heavens OF great fire at distance; but no one
dreampt that rs locality lay within the earth Nor
was snis seaazed gu the following night when the
same awful glare became visible; and shortly be-
fore midnight a terrific explosion was heard imme-
diately followed by vast column OF flame, appar-
entity $50 feet In height, which shot up from the
s0mmle OF the LOk BaLan, close to the Ponto rail-
way station II was calm night, with scarce 8
breath OF wind, so the flames continued 70 ascend
quite vertically, carrying large masses OF dark mat
t1, which 1eu back into the crater. Considerable
neat was felt at the distance OF fully a miie and
the whole country was lighted By glare
brighter than that OF the sun at MONDAY
This lasted for about 80 hours, but not
CONTINUOUSLY the column occasionally sub
siding. The volumes of LIQUID mud elected in
this period overspread a tract Of about a square
mile, 70 depth varying from seven feet to four
Teen feet